S5: Episode 2: Job Search Success and Best Practices with Hailey Hunt

Welcome to another exciting Georgia Fintech Academy Podcast! In this episode, Executive Director Laura Gibson-Lamothe and student co-host Clarissa Guzman from Kennesaw State University sit down with Hailey Hunt, Account Executive Team Lead at HumansDoing. Hailey shares expert insights and practical tips for students and early-career professionals to successfully navigate the job search journey. From building a standout resume and optimizing your LinkedIn presence to leveraging networking events and handling job rejections, Hailey offers a wealth of advice to help you secure that next opportunity. Whether you're looking to land your first internship or transition to a full-time role, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways!

Resource mentioned in the podcast: https://resumeworded.com/ 

Georgia Fintech Academy
https://www.georgiafintechacademy.org/

LinkedIn (Georgia Fintech Academy)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgia-fintech-academy/

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Georgia FinTech Academy podcast. The Georgia FinTech Academy is a collaboration between Georgia's FinTech industry and the University System of Georgia. This talent development initiative addresses a massive demand for FinTech professionals and gives learners the specialized education experiences needed to enter the FinTech sector.

All right. Thank you everyone for joining another Georgia FinTech Academy podcast today. We have an exciting topic. Talking about job search, success tips and practices best practices with Haley Hunt. We also have a student here Carissa Guzman Patino, who represents Kennesaw State University.

She is on the line with us and really excited to include her. I'm going to talk a little bit about how to incorporate her as part of this discussion today. The emphasis being around job [00:01:00] search and progress around how to approach that really critical phase for a student. That journey from academia to industry.

Obviously, a lot of the students that we come across at the FinTech Academy have had multiple internships and interactions with industry. But for them, finding that job post graduation is an intense process. And Carissa, I don't know if you have any feedback or thoughts in regards to what students have to overcome or just think about in regards to their career pursuits.

Yeah, this topic is something that we as a club at Kennesaw State University work on a lot with helping students navigate their job search. A lot of them might not have internships on under their belt right now, and they're still very nervous about, going out there and figuring out what job they might want post grad.

So I feel be very helpful for them. Yeah, I was talking with someone the other day just around [00:02:00] the mental aspect of things sometimes go through this progress of I say it's the depression when you don't get the responses that you want. You keep, applying and you're like, what's going on?

And I know it's hard. And so I'm hoping today and the conversation I know that we'll have here with Haley, who is so passionate not only about her role in this industry but also in giving back to next generation, and we've done several initiatives in the past Haley, where you have, not only volunteered your time, but worked with your organization and helping extend some of the resources that you use.

Offer to the industry to students to help provide and promote and share best practices, tips and guidance. And so we really appreciate you being here today. I don't know if you mind, Haley, just briefly giving an overview of your professional experience and then your role currently at humans doing.

Yeah, thank you for having me. It's like you said, this is passionate about my overall experience is all over the [00:03:00] place. I went to Georgia State and Kenesaw for my bachelor's and master's so very passionate about those universities and I actually started as a police officer. Didn't know what I wanted to do.

Had a family full of cops and just threw myself in there. Why not? And it was the best three years of my life until I broke my hip. And I didn't know what I wanted to do. And I was very blessed that I had a friend who was a VP in Ronstadt say, hey, come try out recruiting. If you hate it, it's fine. It's a job until, yeah, get back on your feet.

And if you love it, it's a new career. And turns out it was something I love to do. And especially just helping people. I realized that recruiting as an industry, you're blessed because not only are you helping organizations build up their workforce and Next generation of what that organization is going to become, but you're helping out individual people as well.

Not only start their careers, but change their families, [00:04:00] their economics and everything else. And it just comes full circle. And it's so much fun to do. So I've been in recruiting for a number of years now, went from warehouse and call center recruiting all the way up to professional insurance. And then went over to the sales side where now I deal with companies on who they're wanting to hire, help them fill out their job descriptions based on their business needs.

And I liaise with the recruiters to make sure that everything goes smoothly. That's awesome. I love some of the themes that you trickled in there about resilience and, being flexible, pivoting, leveraging, some of your previous experience for your future plans and journey. All of that is helpful tips and Carissa, just as I was hearing from Haley and obviously she's at some of the top universities we support at the FinTech Academy between Georgia State and KSU.

You're currently at KSU. Can you share? a little bit about where you are at in your academic journey at [00:05:00] KSU. Yeah, so I'm currently a senior at Kennesaw State University. I'm majoring in information systems and I'm minoring in the FinTech background. Yeah. Perfect. And just to give a little plug about the Kohl's, is it called the Kohl's Payment and Fintech Club?

Kohl's Fintech and Payment Club. Yes. Perfect, I don't remember. No, I think you guys have such a great member base too. I can't remember, but I feel like it's like over 150 student members. Yeah. Right now we're over 200 members now. Officially, so it's growing and a lot of them are really interested. We've had some successful events this semester, and I'm really excited for what's coming up with next semesters.

Oh, that's exciting. That's exciting to hear. And I love to see the growth and all the things that you guys are doing, via social media and other channels to help support and provide resources to students. So great work, Chris. Thank you. So Haley, I think our first [00:06:00] question I'm gonna go through into, breaking into the job market.

Obviously, a lot of these students are from an early talent perspective embarking on their journey, early stage. What is your overview of the current FinTech, and what students can expect when searching for their first position? Yeah, it's it's an interesting market right now.

And like you said earlier it's hard even for people with experience, let alone people entering the workforce. My number one thing to say is be resilient, be flexible. It's okay to get no's. You're going to get a lot. Unfortunately, it's how it is. The job market right now is a lot of who you know who you can get in front of, and especially how flexible and willing to learn you can be in order to tackle things that may not be your job.

I feel like that statement doesn't exist anymore, where companies are broadening their job [00:07:00]descriptions on just anything that the company needs done. So being willing to learn new things and accept challenges. I think the no part is something that's hard for some students to swallow.

Chris, I don't know how you feel about that, but I know in some conversations I've had with students, they'll get four nose for every five applications. And I'm like, that's actually a pretty good rate.

I don't know how you feel about that, Chris. I know I'm looking back into like my internship back last year when I was applying to all these internships. It's like I was applying to anything I could. Honestly, I was just looking to get my foot through the door and something to get my experience with. But I got so many no's, so many rejections.

We all make fun of the, we all make fun of those emails that unfortunately we decided to move on different candidates and like we laugh about it now. But at the time it's really. It's a lot, especially if you're really wanting to work for that. Yeah, Haley, it actually brings up a new question for me in my [00:08:00] mind.

Do you have any advice for how, students should digest the rejection the no, or what that thought process should look like? Yeah, no is a hard word to listen to and to accept. I struggle with it. Even in sales. But I think the biggest thing is don't take it personally when they're telling, it's not no to you as a person who you are and what you have to offer this world because that is completely separate.

No, it is just in the small snapshot. They've seen maybe someone else came out of the woodwork with a little bit more to offer. And when applying, resumes, job applications are a small snippet of a huge story that doesn't exactly say who you are. So it's not personal and they don't know you. And so when you're getting told no, it's, unfortunately it's not the right position for you, but that also means that the right one [00:09:00] is out there.

That's great advice, Haley. Krista, do you have a question for, in this, along these lines? Yeah, so I wanted to ask Haley, so if, when it comes to starting out, what would be some practical steps that students can take so that they can set themselves up for success? Or maybe some resume tips or hacks, no, sorry, the resume tips that could like help on their online presence.

Also, I got a lot of so starting out. It's. A couple things to remember one your resume. There's a website out there called resume worded. com They have a freemium version if you want to pay extra you can but the free version works Run your resume through it And try to get an 80 or more because it's going to tell you the common [00:10:00] mistakes what you're missing and everything else when I look at entry level resumes I see a lot of grammar mistakes normally, like missing punctuation, missing uppercase hyphens, that kind of thing, using the wrong tense throughout the entire resume, where one job you're describing in the present tense, the other job you're describing in the past tense, and it is just all over the place.

So I think grammar is always a great place to start as a first step, because it's the first snapshot of Who you are to an interviewer and a hiring manager. So you want to put your best foot forward with that. And then especially nothing is too small to put on a resume. If you're volunteering, put it on there.

If you're in a club, put it on there. And then especially put bullet points of what you're learning and what you're doing in each of the organizations you're a part of. If you're taking certain classes, say you're going for a fintech [00:11:00] job and you're taking an intro to fintech or Even coding in FinTech or a class like that, when you don't have a lot of experience to offer, put your classes on there, especially to point out, these are the things I'm learning, this is how I'm gaining experience, and I'm eager to learn more.

Oh, I like that, especially that last part around, creatively leveraging your experiences to call out skills or learnings or ways that you demonstrated certain skill sets in your resume. I know a lot of times, like it's difficult when you haven't had, years of work experience to formulate or translate what you might consider miniscule or smaller experiences into skill sets that you can really capitalize on in your resume.

Taking up some real estate when you have very, bare bones experiences to put there. I don't know, Carissa, if you've had in your experience any of those types of conversations with your peers or just for you yourself in applying that for [00:12:00] your resume. Yes. So back when I didn't have any internships.

Experience I did do the what Haley mentioned about adding in projects. I've worked on stating the like bulletins on what I did during class. I did do that. And with current students who do come and ask me for help with. Hey, like, how can I? Go to this career for and give out my resume like this.

If I don't really have any kind of like professional part time job yet, what can I do? And I like I'll talk to them and I'll be like, Hey, like what kind of classes have you taken so far? Is there any kind of project that, you could probably say that you've, if you were the leader for this project, you can go ahead and say that you managed this team.

You successfully became you came up with these conclusions. You met certain times, like. During the week, little things like that, I feel like is a good way of implementing what you've been learning. I love that theme of calling out your ability to lead too. Because I think a lot of students overlook that.

They see, oh, we just did this [00:13:00] student project and maybe I stepped up to the plate and said, I will help guide the team and the direction we want to go. But that literally is management. And it is, project management, whatever you want to call it. But being able to translate is an art. And I love Haley that you bought up the tool which we will link in the podcast subscription.

But I think also just gauging and leveraging tools in the industry to, better and strengthen the resumes is really key. And I don't know if you have any. Other thoughts. I know there's been some controversial discussions around the use of AI when it comes to resume writing. I know I'm going off or deviating from our original plan, but I just thought about that when you mentioned that.

Do you have any thoughts or considerations or takeaways for students in regards to, leveraging AI? And I might as well just say CHAP GBT, generator of AI. As a tool to help resume building. Yeah, I love AI and that's exactly what it is. It is a tool in [00:14:00] your toolbox to help you succeed.

So don't go and completely rely on it because it does have its flaws. I would recommend especially when your resume writing. I like using chat GPT. I put my completed resume in there or even candidates resumes in there. Yeah. And say, hey, can you gear this resume towards this job? Or can you gear it towards this job?

And then go through and edit it based on the suggestions. Don't just let ChatGPT write your resume because it's obvious. And hiring managers are really turned off by that when they can definitely tell that, hey, that's not a human writing that. But definitely using it for grammar, for tenses. Four different wordings to get creative and even to write the bullet points of a job you did to get more creative ideas to explain what you actually did, because I know I need help.

I can't remember how to explain everything I do, and [00:15:00] it's definitely helpful to use it. Yep. Yep. Oh, that's interesting. I think about, these tools and mechanisms that I think are helping people become more efficient. But then also thinking about what we were just talking about, Carissa, being able to translate your experience into meaningful terminology that a recruiter or hiring manager will pick up.

It's hard when you're not in the industry, you don't have years of experience to translate. It's like a different language, essentially. Yeah. I can understand how a few students do struggle with that. They might go and ask a mentor or some advisor for that, but definitely using some kind of AI as a tool, not relying on it completely.

That is great advice. So thinking about another thing, Carissa, you mentioned in your initial question was online presence. And that's a big topic, I think, for a lot of students and or just a lot of people in general in their professional experience. I think, for me, [00:16:00] my social media journey has been an interesting one.

I have stopped using Facebook a long time ago. I'm not as active on Instagram or any other channel, but LinkedIn has blown up over the years. And I personally am A user slash abuser of the technology. I live on LinkedIn and to be honest, it's the best mechanism to gain reach, visibility access, network, all of those things.

Haley, for a student, what would you recommend as far as, guidance for a student to build their professional network and presence in tools like LinkedIn? Yeah, nowadays. LinkedIn is really interesting because it's basically becoming a second, more in depth resume that hiring managers and interviewers are looking at and relying on when it comes to jobs.

I'd say get started. Even if you're a freshman, get a LinkedIn. Start posting. Make sure that it's, of course, work appropriate. We're not [00:17:00] treating it like a new Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, whatever. But, make it. Start making posts. Do some research. Post things you're passionate about the university and what's going on.

Post about different companies that you see are doing things and what you think of them. Connect with as many leaders as possible. Even reach out to them. I think LinkedIn, especially as a student, is a great opportunity to find mentors and to find advocates for when you're going and job seeking. And you definitely want enough of a profile there.

LinkedIn. com For when you're going for those internships or when you're graduating and going for those first jobs Your profile tells a story and I think we're in a really cool era where everybody knows branding and you know just posting and everything else how to show who you are and what you're doing I didn't know that linkedin came out when I was in college and didn't get popular until a couple years [00:18:00] after and You know, we had to rely on resumes and cold calling offices and everything like that.

I sound older than I am, but that's what we did. Whereas now it's not only our hiring managers looking at resumes, they're immediately going and looking at LinkedIn too. So I think being able to utilize both is extremely helpful to get yourself out there. Yeah, just to give a shameless plug for the academy at the Georgia Fintech Academy.

We have tons of events. We're always looking to connect students with, industry leaders. And one of the things that I tried to impress upon students is like there is, gems all around for you to translate into social media or to LinkedIn content. If you're attending an event, you can thank the guest speaker.

Flattery is a great way to get in and connect with someone, but, say a couple of bullets or highlight a couple of bullets of things that resonate with you when you heard, such as, person talking and recognize them for their, volunteerism. You kill two birds with one [00:19:00] stone.

You make that connection. You promote yourself, your brand your ability to summarize succinctly what you heard and provide I'm using air quotes, but thought leadership on top of that. And so there's so many different meaningful ways. I know Chris you guys have a LinkedIn presence for the Kohl's FinTech and payments club.

And you guys are engaging with students trying to promote the activities and the things that you guys coordinate as well, right? Students can be there too. Yes, we do our best to, if we hold any kind of event, we, usually take pictures of the event and then post, recently we had a recruiter panel with Visa and Equifax.

I posted about, the club, all the students that went and I also thanked them for taking time and showing up and, doing that panel for. So the club itself does sometimes have like little fun events that we throw out there, make sure that they're informed, but also think those who take their time out of their day to come and talk to us [00:20:00] thinking about things that recruiters look for in recent graduates.

We talked about some of the best practices around, creating your resume, refining your resume, leveraging technologies to get there, translating, projects and other types of experiences into your resume as well. What do you think about, when recruiters are looking for, recent graduates, early talent, domain and interns even, what are some of the skill sets Haley, that you're familiar with seeing?

In the industry being required or looked for at that level. Yeah. It's comes down to a couple things, a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn and be a sponge. Problem solving and communication showing those aspects of, hey, I might not know what I'm doing, but I'm willing to take these steps to make sure I can do it and ask for help and use my resources to get it done.

I'm willing to collaborate with a [00:21:00] team in order to get tasks done. No task is too small for me to do. I'm wanting to come in and grow and especially learn and just be Work as much as possible. I think those really resonate with hiring managers when looking at entry level positions Because they're really looking for someone who can get a task done And who isn't just going to say no and who wants to grow So being able to show that from an early on it really puts you far apart from others.

And thinking about how that resonates from a, an interview, perspective any guidance that you would, provide just around the interviewing and demonstrating some of those soft skills and examples of like, how you're able to achieve those things. Yes, I love that. It's, don't be afraid to say, I don't know.

If they're asking you, hey, do you know how to do this and you don't try to lie. Don't try to make it up because they'll [00:22:00] catch it instantly and they'll immediately reject. Instead, it's, I'm not familiar with the steps to get that done, but these are the steps I would take in order to find out to complete the task.

So yeah, I know, but yeah, I feel like that's a tricky one. I think a lot of people in general doesn't matter what level you're in, have a hard time with, the interview process being the one, opportunity that you have to be vetted. To be qualified for this opportunity. And so you feel like you fail if you don't answer every single question.

But sometimes I'm not saying that there's trick questions in the interview process, because not everybody does that. But sometimes they're also trying to assess your thought process, your ability to think through critical banking and some other skill sets as well. And To your point, it's, acknowledging if you don't have, experience in a certain area, or you are an expert in that thing, but being able to say, here's how I [00:23:00] would approach that could be just as meaningful and just as beneficial to the conversation, yes, and then especially, Just remember your interviewer is human too, come in with a smile and come in.

I always say early. I like to stress early. I come from a military family. So it's, if you're on time, you're late. And if you're earlier on time, it shows that, you're there, you are going to put forth the effort and you're taking it seriously as well as being communicative, smiling, asking the interviewer how they are.

I can't believe. When I talk to hiring managers, how many times I hear they were just transactional in the interview. They didn't really hold a conversation. It was just straight question and answers. It's a conversation and it's not just a bullet pointed list. So come in and just speak and try to get to know the person across from you as well.

Yeah, that's a good point. I think having that [00:24:00] connection during the interview process and really getting, down to the fact that you're both human beings, having a natural conversation, it takes away a little bit of the stress. I think in the. The sterile conversation of back and forth Q& A when you're really trying to understand is this person a collaborative person if they're going to be aligned to our company's culture.

So to your point, it's better to be natural, but I understand like sometimes it gets a little bit nerve wracking, but practice makes perfect. As I've heard you say also in other sessions Haley and getting that experience of having several interviews under your belt can help you, get over those nerves.

And Carissa, I know you guys at KSU have done several events where you're providing opportunities for students to get some of those nerves out through practice and yeah, and I don't know if from your perspective, if that resonates with you as far as like practice, makes perfect, but then also just, leveraging those forums where you can really demonstrate what you've learned in real time, [00:25:00] but then also, at the same time, get some experience speaking and getting comfortable with that.

Yes, it really takes, like, when you're first starting off and you haven't really practiced around, it really, you can get really nervous. And Healy was saying, understanding that it's okay to say no sometimes you don't know what, how you would out, like, how, Sorry, how Haley was saying that it's okay to say that you don't know something and you know that thought process is usually what's being analyzed, I think that is really great advice and also taking a breather and realizing that the person you're talking to right now is human too, and thinking of it more of as a normal conversation.

Is better I think that's something that a lot of students can will help calm down when going into these things, and they still always ask me like how can I prepare for this interview, or what should I tell them, or what can I ask, and I always say that they can like. It's not just about them being interviewed.[00:26:00]

It's also you asking them questions. Yep. Haley, I don't know if you have any thoughts on those questions. Because I definitely, back in my day being a hiring manager, I hate it when I'm like, do you have any questions? No. I'm like, how do you not have any questions for me? That's almost an instant rejection nowadays if you don't come prepared with one or two questions to ask in return.

And, it's Looking at the company being prepared on what is the job? What is the company? What is the company doing? Are they being innovative? Are they doing different things in the market that sets themselves apart? Are they getting really close competition from another company? Being able to come in, know who they are, ask questions and be passionate about it.

For example, FinTech is completely innovative. Right now, with new things coming out. So if you're going for an embedded payments company. Hey, how are you setting yourself apart from your [00:27:00] competitors while also focusing on your internal team to make sure this remains the best place to work is always a cool go to one to use.

Yeah, I love that because in the terms of the younger people, that's almost a flex in a way. Demonstrating that you have some knowledge and insight in your question is a, it's another win. You're able to not only, get and make an impact with the question that you're asking, but you're demonstrating that you have the proper frame of mind and you're already starting to think through professionally and those types of questions in the formatting.

I'm wondering if in a post interview situation, if you have any recommendations on, how to follow up. So we've talked about kind of resume that's going to be submitted during the application process, the interview best practices, tools to leverage. On the other end, once you're done with the interview, what do you do?

It's very old school to say, and unfortunately, it's a dying form. Send a thank you note. If [00:28:00] you really want to stand out, drop off a handwritten thank you note if you're applying to a company that is within driving distance of you and it will make the person's day or even just sending an email.

Thank you so much for taking your time to talk with me, showing them their time is important because it is when you're working for these companies, your time is money and showing that you appreciate that is going to help you stand out as well in the email. so much. Point out some things from the conversation.

I really enjoyed getting to know this, and this about you and the company. And I'm really excited to delve further into that. And then this is the salesperson in me, but ask for next steps. You lose a hundred percent of the shots. You do not ask for. for. So I would flat out say, I look forward to continuing this conversation.

When can I expect to hear next steps? Or how do we move this forward? Because I'm really interested and [00:29:00] passionate about this position. That's such good advice, especially the highlighting next steps, because it really puts upon them to respond with something. And I think, also giving the thank you and the shout out for, having that time.

You've already almost have a win in a way you land in an interview. So I think that's a success in itself. But following up and, with appreciation is definitely a great way to keep top of mind. I think in the interviewers mindset as well. That's great advice. Haley. Oh, yeah. Anything else to add on that?

And just. Interviewers and hiring managers talk to each other and leaving that good taste in their mouth can make the difference because maybe that particular job wasn't for you, but they're going to remember you. And if something that you are perfect for comes up, they're more likely to reach out

the point. Just thinking about and pivoting to. Outside of obviously students are trying to apply for [00:30:00] positions when they come up internships, full time positions. But in the meantime, they're also out here networking and trying to connect with people in the industry to identify those opportunities.

Any, best practices around that networking in person, virtually, tools that people should be leveraging any best practices that you could think of? Yeah, there's a couple of different things that you can do. First off, utilizing your university, especially alumni. We're coming up on homecoming right now.

It's one of the most perfect times to network. Go to the alumni tailgates, the different events that alumni are at. Pick their brains. They want to help. They're excited about the university. They give back to the university. They want to talk to you. Utilize that because a lot of them end up at amazing companies that are always hiring.

And then especially use your teachers and professors. A lot of the times they've been there, done that, and they're doing this as a part of retirement and [00:31:00] they still have active networks within their fields. Connect with them on LinkedIn, post stuff about their class on LinkedIn, comment, message them, get to know them, use them as a mentor and a guide.

I actually got my first job through one of my professors at Georgia State because I told him what I was looking for and he had gotten to know me as a student and recommended me for a position through his network. So definitely utilize your professors. And then different organizations as well, like Clarissa's group is an amazing example where they're bringing in companies to meet with students, helping you interview and navigate that.

Also, I found a lot of value through Greek life. I'm a proud alumna of Alpha Z Delta, and that alumni network has helped me as well when it came to interview practice, job searching, and just general advice. And then, of course, the university job fairs are gold. Even if you're not a junior or a senior, [00:32:00] go walk around them, meet with the companies, ask them what they're looking for.

I guarantee you, if you start a conversation of, Hey, I'm not looking yet, but what do you look for in students applying? You're going to make their day because they love to talk about their jobs. That's why they're there. Yeah. I see, I know Carissa's already agreeing with everything. . Yes. That's really great advice.

I would say that I don't think a lot of students do really think about using their professors as like some form of building a connection with them and that later on it could, not with the meaning that hopefully they do get something out of it, but just, talking to them and connecting with them later on could also be something impactful in their careers.

Yeah, I definitely don't feel like I have ever mentioned that. And so Haley, I'm adding back to my list of the professors, the faculty and the professors in our network. They're so and I'm only 2 years into academia from [00:33:00] industry. But 1 thing I've sensed across the board is that they really are dedicated to student success.

Committed to student success, and some of them, they are, driving students different places, so they get opportunities and exposure trying to socialize and echo some of the things that we're promoting at the FinTech Academy to students, so that they take advantage of it but what you're talking about is just getting creative, I think, in Those relationships and how you tap into those relationships, and that's so important because some of those, areas people just dismiss.

I know for me personally I've leveraged professors when I was in undergrad for recommendation letters for different things. I'm submitting myself for, I would love to be submitted for some sort of a alumni recognition and some other things that also can build my resume because I'm demonstrating my contribution within the university, which I will translate into how I would act in the company culture on the other side.

So there's so many different ways to, think through how to really do that. So I love [00:34:00] that. I think another thing that I was thinking about. One thing tactically that I get questioned often from students is like, when you're networking, what do you talk about? And I never thought about that.

I was like, we're pushing for networking, networking, connect with people, and people were like what do I say? What do I, how do I engage with people? And so I don't know if you have any thoughts on things that could, spark the conversation or how, what students should think about when they're engaging with people.

Professionals, I should say, in a networking experience or environment. Yeah. Get to know the person in front of you. I can't tell you even personally nowadays in sales, how many networking conversations I get in because I compliment someone's shoes. Or I walk past and I hear him say a word that I'm halfway interested in and I come in and comment.

Don't be afraid to say hello is number one. And then also, especially [00:35:00] dealing with career professionals. Don't ask them for things right off the bat. These people get asked for things 24 7 through networking events as well as LinkedIn, and you're just going to add to the noise when that happens, and you're not going to get anywhere, you're not going to get the value out of it, but getting to know them as a person, Why are they in their position?

What drove them to it? What are they passionate about? I always love to ask, how did you get to where you are? What steps did you take? What organizations or things did you utilize? What would you recommend if I wanted to follow in your footsteps? And most of the time, those conversations end up lasting more than that one encounter.

And I always like to start off with, can I buy you a cup of coffee to pick your brain? I want to learn more about you. I want to learn more about your journey. Can I buy you that cup of coffee? Something as simple as a three to five dollar coffee can open up the [00:36:00] world to you because of that person will get to know you, they'll get to know your morals, your ethics, you're showing interest in them and they're going to want to do things for you.

You know what? As you were saying that I was coining this term in my head. I was like coffee and compliments with Haley. Because I totally agree. Like a laughter or a common, interest in some item just brings it down to just another human interaction. And it makes it a distressed, de stressed conversation.

Something that, just is a personal type of approach. People, it resonates with people and people love compliments. And then also coffee, a coffee chat. I love a coffee chat. I drink too much coffee to this day. But it gives you an opportunity to really connect again, like you said, on a human level.

And people love curiosity, to your point just being inquisitive and asking the questions and learning from someone else's experience who's already been through where you're hoping to be is just [00:37:00]such a valuable value add. We are at the time to wrap up and Chris, I know we talked a lot with Haley about just different guidance and thoughts to, to help improve and help equip students who are navigating that journey and looking for their next job or an internship.

What resonated with you the most from today's conversation? So I feel like. The most valuable things I got out of, the device between you and Haley. I don't think I ever thought about transitioning that networking conversation to a coffee chat. That is great advice. And starting off simple with a compliment, I have realized that goes a long way and then it just smoothly transitioned to a normal conversation, not outside of strictly oh This is what I'm looking for and this is who I am.

It's more getting to know them as a person, but I didn't think about, doing that, asking them to go for coffee and having a more calmed down conversation there could really [00:38:00] set the difference. That's great advice. And also, When Haley mentioned about, getting to network within your school with clubs, Greek life, I know a lot of people are involved in that.

That is really good advice, making your connections there, talking with professors. I really that she also shared her side of the story with how she landed a few things. That's really great. Yeah, those personal stories about how you navigate your career, Haley, and we probably need to have a separate podcast diving into that because, there's so many, gems, in leveraging those experiences, just as you said, connecting with people and learning about their experience versus being a superficial conversation about, hey, this is what I need.

But hearing your story and some of the things that you've overcome and navigating your career journey is the same thing that I think a lot of students struggle with because they have this perspective that you have this degree, you had this declared [00:39:00] major this is what you came out of university with, and that's now the focus for the rest of your life.

Even now, set in stone, this is the only thing I can do. And I don't know if you have any lasting thoughts into, just giving students the confidence and being flexible because you've demonstrated that, being resilient, overcoming challenges. I know it's a lot to wrap up, but just anything there, lasting, last words to inspire and to help students feel encouraged, I think, going forward into their career pursuits.

Yeah, being flexible is the name of the game, especially in the job market out there now. And like you said with Your degree gives you amazing skills when it comes to collaboration, learning how to find answers, coming up with creative ways to complete tasks, and if you happen to land a job that doesn't use your degree, that's okay.

I have two degrees that, have [00:40:00] taught me tremendous things, but I'm no longer in criminal justice or international policy, which my degrees are in, but I still use my degrees every single day when it comes to Leadership in the community and being able to do my job effectively. So just coming at it with a hard work ethic, being flexible and being a sponge, especially always continue learning.

Even when you're out of school, there's more information out there. There's more to learn more to do that can just make you better as a person. And then, of course, just remembering. No does not define you. You define yourself through your actions and a no doesn't affect that. Yeah, that's powerful. Thank you so much, Haley.

Thank you, Clarissa, for an amazing, impactful conversation today. I'm really excited to apply some of these tips in what we communicate and share with our students. And then I'm hoping for our student community that's listening [00:41:00] in or even just experienced professionals that are looking to.

To reengage with the industry can leverage some of the tips that you share today for our community. Stay tuned for our future episodes coming up. We are focused on some fintech opportunities, but things that are really. helping advocate and promote opportunities in FinTech as well as provide and amplify those resources that you have access through the FinTech Academy.

So look forward to future episodes from the FinTech Academy. Thank you all for joining.

The Georgia FinTech Academy podcasts are available on iTunes and Spotify. To obtain additional information about the Georgia FinTech Academy, please visit our website at georgiafintechacademy.